“Did you call for the car to be pulled out front?” I asked.
We were taking a chauffeured limo for the night. Our plans also included heading out to dinner, but I was tired and ready to go home.
“Uh, yes,” he said, glancing at his watch.
Slowly we made our way through the crowd, trying patiently to get to the elevators.
“Z?” I heard behind me.
Whipping my head around, I smiled when I saw Lake walking towards us. My heartbeat sped up, and my palms grew clammy. I pulled my hand from Russell’s and wiped them down the sides of my jeans, trying to calm my reaction to him.
I’d never come face to face with Russell’s sexual partners. He guarded that part of his life carefully, and I’d always tried to give him the same respect that he gave me in that area.
“Hi, Lake!” I greeted with a smile.
“Didn’t know that you were into the sport,” he whispered in my ear as he returned my greeting with a hug.
I simply laughed and pulled back from the hug.
“Darden,” he said, exchanging a handshake with Russell and a nod.
“Thanks for getting me that meeting with your people. I brought a group of interested parties to the game tonight. Too bad they didn’t win,” Russell said.
Lake gave a brief nod of his head before saying, “Yeah? Well, there will be other opportunities.”
“I’m sure there will be. Well, I look forward to working with you soon.”
Lake bobbed his head from side to side. “Maybe. Or you might work with my team.”
“Either way, I look forward to it,” Russell said.
Lake’s gaze turned back to me, and I could see the cool questioning look in his eyes, despite the smile on his lips.
“I was sorry to hear about Omari Johnson’s injury. Have you all heard anything back yet on his diagnosis?”
Lake pulled a hand down his face and shook his head, planting his other hand firmly on his hip. That pose gave me the perfect view of his hard chest muscles, and the flat planes of what I knew were tight abs underneath that crisp white dress shirt that he wore.
The first three buttons of his button-down dress shirt were unbuttoned, giving me a slight glimpse of the dark hairs on his chest. My eyes went to his Adam’s apple as it bobbed up and down, and I wanted to lick that spot.
Not only did he smell good as hell tonight, but he looked so damn good, too. In that tailor-made royal blue suit that he was wearing, I shifted to squeeze my thighs tight.
“He’s still with the doctors right now, and they don’t have a word. I just left the locker room with him, the medics, and the coaching staff. They’re about to transport him to the hospital, and his wife and the coach will accompany him. I’ve told them to keep me posted.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine how difficult this is for him or the rest of the team. I’m really sorry, Lake. This season means a lot to you guys, and...your players.”
I knew that Lake had a compassionate heart. He always had held a heart of gold that was nothing more than a humble servant’s heart, despite the wealth that he accumulated. So, if he never said a word about his concern over his players, I still would’ve known how he felt.
“Thanks, Z.”
Reaching out to pat his shoulder, I said, “Stay focused and positive. You were always the one that told me whenever you send out positive energy, you’ll get that back. I’ll be sending out positive energy for you guys, too.”
His eyes darkened, and he smiled at me. “Thanks, Z. That means a lot coming from you,” he said in a low tone as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“You’re welcome.”
“Well, uh...I think we’d better be getting home, honey. I’m tired, and I’ve got an early day tomorrow, and I know you do, too. Besides, today’s been a long one,” Russell said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him.
His actions surprised me. Showing affection towards me wasn’t something that Russell and I had cultivated between us. On the few occasions it occurred, I’d known to expect it. And even then, it was something that took some time to get used to.
I looked up at him, my eyebrows dipping down as I forced a smile to my lips. “Um, yeah...sure, Russ.”
He ran his hand up and down the ball of my shoulder a few times before he leaned down to kiss my lips. I pulled back slightly in surprise, at the same time that I heard a subtle rumble deep in Lake’s throat, which also caught me off guard.
Pulling away from Russell’s grasp, I said, “Good night, Lake. Keep me posted on Omari’s status, okay?”
Lake didn’t respond immediately, his dark gaze glaring at Russell, who was oblivious to the spark he’d ignited in Lake. I could see the vein throbbing in Lake’s forehead and the way he worked his jaw back and forth. I prayed that Lake would just keep his cool. There was no room for jealousy or volatile behaviors.
“Lake?” I prompted again.
“Uh...yeah, sure,” he said before turning around and marching away.
Inhaling deeply, I turned around to head back toward the elevators. I could feel Russell right behind me, and his hand rested gently at my waist by the time we arrived at the elevators.
The crowd had lessened, so when the next available elevator arrived, we could embark. Russell said nothing on the ride down to the main level, as we weren’t the only ones in the elevator.
Even after we’d made it to the lobby, making our way through the diminishing crowd, he still said nothing. It wasn’t until we were safely in the confines of the limo being brisked away from Durham and back to the sleepy town of Sunset Harbor that he finally spoke up.
“Is that something that I should concern myself about?” he asked.
“What are
